Method of and means for installing road joints



Sept. 17, 1935. 2,U14,894

METHOD'OF AND MEANS FOR INSTALLING ROAD JOINTS 'J. N. HELTZEL 2 She ets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 24, 1930 Sept. 17, 1935.. J. N. 'HELTZEL METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR INSTALLING" ROAD JOINTS Filed Oct. 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIII/ Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR INSTALLING ROAD JOINTS John N. Heltzel, Warren, Ohio Application October 24, 1930, Serial No. 491,052

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to concrete road. machines, and aims to provide novel joint producing and installing means, this application being a continuation in part of application Serial No. 223,161, filed September 30, 1927.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a novel device for preparing the plastic concrete to receive joint material, a joint strip or a joint form, or for receiving joint installing blades or other joint installing means.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel device for installing or depositing joint material, or a joint strip or a joint form in the plastic concrete.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts and in the method, as hereinafter described and claimed,

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the machine illustrating the invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the. respective lines 22 and 3-3 of Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the spaced blades moved down into the concrete and separated, showing a joint strip being moved down between the blades.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the completed joint. Fig. 6 is a cross section ofthespaced blades showing a joint form deposited between the blades. 7

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of a modified construction embodying a pair of joint installing blades or members.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are cross sections of the blades shown in Fig. 7 illustrating three steps in the installation of a joint.

Fig. 11 is a cross section of the completed joint.

Fig. 12 is a cross section of the same blades depicting same used in a different manner for installing'a joint strip.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of another modified joint installing device.

Fig. 1 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of still another joint installing member.

As shown, the device for preparingthe plastic or semi-plastic concrete for the installation of a joint is arranged for the production of a transverse joint, and includes a carriage having wheels 51 traveling upon a pair of transverse rails or guides 52 carried by the frame I having wheels 2 to travel on the side forms 3. Rollers '53 are carried by the carriage 50 and are disposed below the upper flanges of said rails to hold the wheels 5| down on said rails. A shaft 54 is mounted in the carriage 50 and has a flywheel 55 thereon provided with a crank 56 for manually rotating said shaft, although suitable power may 5 be provided for operating the shaft, and said shaft is connected by a sprocket chain 5! or other suitable operative connection with the wheels 5l, so that the rotation of the shaft will propel the carriage on the rails 52. The cutter or spader 58 10 projects downwardly between the rails or guides 52, and is slidable on a guide pin 59 mounted in the carriage, and said spader has an eccentric band 6 at its upper end embracing the eccentric 6| on the shaft 54, so that the rotation of the 15 shaft will reciprocate the spader substantially vertically, thereby forcing the spader downwardly into the concrete and withdrawing the spader alternately. The spader may thus be reciprocated for cutting the concrete transversely from the 0' surface to the sub-base. The rails 52 may be straight and at right angles to the longitudinal line of the road, or may be arranged obliquely, or may be of different forms, to cut the road along the desired line from edge to edge of the road. 25

The spader or blade 58, which works substantially vertically and longitudinally of and between the rails or guides 52, in entering the concrete, will deflect stones and larger particles of the aggregate from the line of the joint, and may also 30 open a slot, cleft or groove in the concrete if it is semi-plastic or partially set. If the concrete is soft the spader or blade will deflect the larger particles of the aggregate from the line of the joint, and the finer aggregate may flow back, but 35 will allow the ready depositing of the joint material, strip or form therein, but if the device is used when the concrete is semi-plastic or partially set, the spader will form a slot or groove that will remain open to receive the joint material, strip or 40 form. The spader may of course be adjusted or positioned to work to any suitable depth in the concrete, and may be used for longitudinal as well as transverse joints by arranging the guide or rails 52 accordingly on the frame I.

A combined clamping and joint installing device for installing transverse expansion joints is mounted in rear of the joint cutting device above described, and includes a pair of downwardly extending blades 62 extending transversely of the 50 road and of a shape to correspond with the cut made by the spader 58, the machine being advanced, after the spader 58 has completed the transverse cut, so that the blades 62 register with the cut made.

The blades 62 are secured to the 55:

lower arms of levers 63 fulcrumed, as at 64, to slides 65 mounted for vertical sliding movement in the frame I, and right and left hand screws 66 connect the upper arms of the levers 63 for swinging said levers to move the blades 62 together and apart. The blades 62 are moved upwardly and downwardly by means of vertical screws 61 mounted in brackets 68 secured on the frame I and swivelled to the slides 65.

Air hammers are provided to impart blows on the blades 62 for driving them downwardly into the concrete. These air hammers create a vertical vibration or up and down motion of the blades 62, so that the upper outstanding flanges of said blades produce a tamping action of the joint installing device, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The air hammers comprise cylinders 69 carried by the frame I and plungers l0 projecting from the lower ends of the cylinders to impinge against the blades 62. The cylinders 69 are supplied with compressed air from the supply pipe 36 through a control valve 1 I.

In operation, with the blades 62 located above the transverse cut produced by the spader 58, the screws 66 are rotated to bring the blades 62 to gether, as seen in Fig. 1, and the screws 61 are then rotated to force the blades 62 downwardly. During the downward movement of the blades 52 the air hammers may be operated so that the blows of the plungers 10 on the blades 62 will assist in driving the blades down into the concrete, said blades entering the cut made by the spader 58. The blades 52 are then separated by turning the screws 66 so as to swing the levers 62, and the premolded expansion joint strip 12 may then be inserted between the blades 62, as seen in Fig. 4. The blades 62 are then withdrawn from the concrete by raising the slides 65, and the joint strip is thus deposited in the concrete, after which any surplus concrete is removed and the concrete finished in front and in rear of the joint strip 12 to produce the joint seen in Fig. 5. If desired, the joint strip 12 may be clamped between the blades 62 .and forced down with the blades into the concrete, as a unit. When the outstanding upper flanges of the blades come into contact with the surface of the concrete, the tamping action of said flanges will have a vibratory effect on the concrete, compacting the concrete on both sides of the joint. The members 62 thus serve as a combined tamper, joint holder and joint installer. After the joint material or strip has been forced into the concrete, the blades 62 are forced apart or separated slightly, so as to permit their withdrawal from the concrete, leaving the joint strip or material deposited in the concrete. The concrete will flow or may be worked against the joint strip progressively by a float or other hand-operated tool as the blades 62 are withdrawn, with either method of depositing the joint strip in the concrete. Therefore, the spaces occupied by the blades 62 will be filled with concrete, leaving the joint strip deposited in the concrete true to alinement. The blades 62 may also be employed for installing contraction joint strips, and the joint strips may be installed so as to extend either completely or partially through the concrete. The device may also be employed for installing longitudinal as well as transverse joints.

The expansion joints are provided in the road at intervals to permit the road to expand longitudinally without buckling, the joints '!2 being compressible or yieldab-le when extended entirely through the concrete.

Instead of depositing a premolded joint between the blades 62, a form 13 may be used, as seen in Fig. 6, said form being of sheet metal and of U-shaped cross section which may extend partly or entirely through the concrete. The form may be deposited between the blades in the same manner as the joint strip 12, and the blades 62 then withdrawn and the concrete finished along the form. After the concrete has set sufficiently the form may be withdrawn, and asphalt, a bituminous composition, or other filler poured into the space, to produce an expansion joint similar to 12 as seen in Fig. 5, or a contraction joint when the cut extends only partially through the concrete. It may be desirable to depress the transverse joint strip fiush with the top of the road by operating a screed over the joint strip while bearing thereon, and the screed may be on the same machine, as disclosed in the aforesaid application, in which event the machine is backed up to bring the screed over the joint strip, or a screed of another machine may be operated over the joint strip. The screed may be reciprocated so as to depress the strip until the screed comes to rest on the side rails or forms, thereby bringing the joint strip flush with the surface of the road and also finishing such surface at both sides of the joint.

In either use of the blades 62, after they have been separated to release the joint strip or form,

the blades may be partially withdrawn from the concrete, so as to overlap the upper edge portion of the strip or form, and the concrete may be tamped or worked against the sides of the strip or form below the blades by a tamper, float or other hand-operated tool, said blades holding the strip or form true to alinement while the concrete is being packed against the sides of the strip or form below the partially raised blades. The blades may then be completely withdrawn to permit the concrete to be finished up to the upper edge of the strip or form, as by the use of a float.

The air hammers or vibratory means may be used to drive the joint strip or form downwardly between the blades, after having driven the blades down into the concrete.

The joint installing device shown in Fig. '7 comprises a pair of angle iron blades or members 62' having downwardly extending flanges to enter the plastic concrete and having upper horizontal flanges extending away from one another. The two blades are connected by swinging yokes 4 having their terminals journaled in upstanding bearings 5 secured on said blades, and an intermediate yoke 6 is also preferably provided or several of them when the blades are of considerable length. The yokes or links 4 and 6 connect the blades for movement toward and away from one another when moved longitudinally relatively to one another.

The yokes 4 are suspended from stems or shanks I slidable in slotted guides 8 carried by the frame or bridge I, and suitable handles 9 are provided for manually raising and lowering the stems l to lift the blades from and move them down into the concrete.

In order to adjust the blades relatively to one another a lever I0 is fulcrumed on one blade and is connected by a link I I with the other blade, so that by swinging the lever by hand the blades are moved longitudinally relatively to one another, thereby moving them toward and away from one another by parallelogram action. The link II has loose or universal joints to permit said link to swing similarly to the yokes or links 4 and 6.

Means is provided for reciprocating the blades 62' so that they can saw or cut their way down into the unset concrete. A link or bar l2 has one end connected with an eccentric I3 mounted on a shaft l4 carried by and driven from the frame or bridge I, and said bar has a stud I5 at its free end movable in a longitudinal slot l6 in an upstanding flange or plate I! secured on one of the blades, and the fiange or plate I! is provided with a notch 8 at the lower edge of the slot IE to receive the stud 15, whereby the blades will be reciprocated by the reciprocatory motion of the bar I2.

A roller I9 is carried by the blade on which the flange I! is secured in order to contact with s the bar l2, when the blades are raised, so as to move the stud l5 upwardly out of the notch l8, thereby permitting the stud l5 to move idly in the slot l6, thereby preventing the motion of the blades while they are raised above the concrete.

In carrying out the method with the device shown in Fig. 7, the blades 52 are moved together and are then forced downwardly to enter the plastic or unset concrete, as seen in Fig. 8, said blades being reciprocate'd so as to saw down into the material. When the blades have been forced down to the desired depth, either partially or completely through the concrete, the blades are a separated, by swinging the hand lever In, which '1 inserted longitudinally under the yokes or links 4 and 6 and then forced down between the blades, the blades being raised slightly so that their lower edges are only slightly below the surface of the concrete, as seen in Fig. 10. The strip 12' when forced downwardly will project below the blades, but the upper edge of the strip will be held between the lower edges of the blades, thereby maintaining the strip true to alignment. The pushed back material at opposite sides of the strip may then be worked back against the strip, by suitable implements, for instance tampers or floats, thereby embedding the strip in the plastic mass, after which the blades may be separated slightly and then raised from the strip and con.- crete. The joint may then be finished and the concrete surfaced, as seen in Fig. 11.

The device shown in Fig. 7 may be used for both longitudinal and transverse joints, which extend either partially or completely through the concrete layer.

Fig. 12 illustrates another manner of using the blades 62'. The strip 72 is clamped between the blades, with the lower edges of the blades overlapping the upper edge of the strip. The strip may then be forced down into the plastic concrete, which has preferably been previously treated, as at 29, to remove the fragments of stone and other larger particles of aggregate from the line of the joint, although the prepared portion may consist of cement and sand that is readily displaced by the strip. After the strip is forced down into. place, the concrete can be worked against the strip, and the blades then removed from the strip as herein before described.

Fig. 13 illustrates a joint installing blade or member 95' composed of T-iron and having spring tongues 96 secured to the opposite sides of the depending flange for frictionally holding the joint 91 between them, to enable the joint strip to be forced down into the plastic concrete, similarly to the operation described in connection with Fig. 12. The tongues 96' may be withdrawn from the strip after the strip is deposited in the concrete. It is to be understood that the member 95 is arranged for up and 'down movement to and from the concrete as heretofore described and also that the member 95 may be reciprocated lonigtudinally of itself or vibrated as heretofore described to facilitate the installation of the joint strip 91, which may consist of premolded material, which may be left deposited in the plastic concrete or if desired the joint strip 91 may consist of a removable steel plate, which may be withdrawn from the plastic material, producing an open groove, which may later be filled with suitable material. To facilitate the finishing of the plastic material over the joint strip 91 and between the clamping members 96, the depending web of the member 95 is arched ,or cut away as shown at X to facilitate the finishing tools to operate over the top of the joint strip 91 and under the member 95. After the joint material has been finished and it is desired to disengage the joint strip 9'! from its clamping position, such disengagement is accomplished by a plurality of members Xl, which rest on the top of the joint strip 91, having portions X--2 adjustably attached to frame #I so that when it is desired to disengage the strip from the member 95 the disengagement is accomplished by merely raising the member 95 vertically and the disengaging member Xl will disengage the joint strip from the holders 96.

The large L is a projection secured to the depending web of the T-iron. This projection is intended to engage the end of the joint, strip while the web member is reciprocated back and forth, it being understood that in forcing this joint strip into the concrete it is sometimes found that the joint strip slides freely between the depending finger. The lug L will bear against the end of the joint strip so as to insure a sawing motion of the strip.

Fig. 14 illustrates another modification employing an inverted T-iron joint installing member 95 having the dpending pairs of fingers 96 to receive and hold the joint strip 91 in order to force same down into the plastic concrete. This device is the same as shown in Figs. 1A and 7 of the aforesaid application Serial No. 223,161.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A joint installing device comprising joint installing blades movable downwardly into concrete, means for adjusting said blades toward and away from one another, and means for imparting vibratory blows downwardly on said blades or a joint strip or form between them.

2. The method of installing a joint in concrete consisting in forcing a pair of blades down into the concrete, separating the blades, depositing the joint strip or form between the blades, and withdrawing the blades while separated.

3. The method of installing a joint in concrete consisting in forcing a pair of blades down into the concrete, separating the blades, depositing a joint strip or form between the blades, partially withdrawing the blades from the concrete, packing the concrete against the sides of the strip or form below the blades, and then withdrawing the blades from the concrete.

4. A joint installing device comprising a pair of joint installing blades, and means for reciprocatlng said blades longitudinally, and means for expanding the blades.

5. A joint installing device comprising a pair of joint installing blades, and yokes pivotally connected with the blades for the parallelogram movement of the blades relatively to one another, and means for clamping the strip between the portions.

6. The method of installing a joint in concrete consisting in moving a pair of blades When in close relation downwardly into plastic concrete, separating the blades while in the concrete to spread the concrete material in the zone of the joint, and depositing joint material between the separated blades and into the concrete.

7. The herein described method for building roads, which consists in cleaving the concrete. widening the cleavage and inserting joint material into such widened cleavage.

8. A device for preparing concrete for a joint comprising a main carriage supported on side forms for longitudinal movement over a concrete road, a guide member supported by said main carriage and extending all along the line of the joint, a supplemental carriage supported on said guide member to travel back and forth on said guide member above the line of the joint, a thin and narrow cutter blade supported by and for movement relatively to said supplemental carriage and carried by the supplemental carriage back and forth on said guide member above the line of the joint, and means for reciprocating the narrow thin cutter blade substantially vertically as it traverses back and forth the length of the guide member.

9. A device for installing joints in concrete roads comprising a pair of blades, means for moving the blades when in close relation downwardly into plastic concrete, and means for separating the blades while in the concrete to spread the concrete material in the zone of the joint whereby joint material may be deposited between the separated blades into the concrete.

10. A device for installing joints in concrete roads comprising means for cleaving the concrete, a pair of blades initially in close relation movable downwardly into the cleft made by said means, and means to separate the blades While in the cleft to widen the cleavage and admit joint material 10 between the blades.

11. A joint producing member supported by a carriage for movement over a road under construction and instrumentalities supported by the carriage including means for movement of the 15 member down into the plastic concrete, said instrumentalities also including means to engage said member to cause said member to be reciprocated progressively as the member is being moved down into the concrete to produce a separation in 20 contact with the concrete. 25

12, A road building machine, comprising a car- 1 riage spanning a road under construction, a transversely reciprocal member carried by the carriage, means to move the member down into contact with road building materials, means coacting with 30 the member to cause lateral reciprocation of the member while the member is in contact with said materials, means for disengaging said last means to cause the discontinuance of said reciprocation progressively as the member is raised from contact with said road materials, and means for movement of the machine over the roadway.

JOHN N. HELTZEL. 

